General manager John Lynch confirmed Sunday that the 49ers have met with Buccaneers restricted free agent defensive end Jacquies Smith, though they haven’t offered him a contract (via Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area). The Niners did have Smith take a physical during his visit, as the 27-year-old missed nearly all of last season with a torn ACL. “We wanted to get him checked out medically, and we’ll see,” said Lynch. If the 49ers do sign Smith to an offer sheet and the Bucs don’t match it, Tampa Bay won’t receive compensation because it only gave the former undrafted free agent an original-round tender.
More from the NFC:
- The Cowboys have seen notable defenders in Morris Claiborne, Brandon Carr, Barry Church, J.J. Wilcox, Terrell McClain and Jack Crawford leave in free agency this year, but CEO Stephen Jones doesn’t expect those to be crippling departures. “Even though we lost some numbers on defense, some of them we were ready to move on from,” Jones told David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter links). Jones also noted that this year’s draft “is inordinately strong on the defensive side of the ball.” Based on Jones’ comments, the Cowboys figure to target a defender with their top pick, No. 28 overall.
- It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Redskins extended 25-year-old right tackle Morgan Moses prior to training camp, writes Rich Tandler of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Moses, who’s set to enter a contract year in 2017, is fresh off his second straight 16-start season. The three-year veteran also ranked a terrific 17th among Pro Football Focus’ 78 qualified offensive tackles in 2016. Left tackle Trent Williams finished first, giving the Redskins an elite bookend duo with him and Moses.
- The Rams have hired Tyrone McKenzie as a special teams assistant to work under John Fassel, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com. The 31-year-old McKenzie isn’t far removed from his career as an NFL linebacker, which ran from 2009-13 with the the New England, Tampa Bay and Minnesota organizations. He’s familiar with the Rams, having assisted with their outside linebackers and special teams players last summer, Gonzalez notes.